ALARMIST Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

alarmist

noun

Definition of alarmist

as in extremist

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of alarmist Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said the results showed opportunities for improvement, but cautioned against alarmist interpretations. — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2026 And sure, six to eight weeks of emergency supplies might sound a little alarmist — maybe borderline doomsday prep-y. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 But these predictions were often shrugged off as hypothetical or alarmist and failed to stir public or government action. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 22 July 2026 An alarmist might worry about the possibility of an upcoming summer without baseball. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 15 July 2026 Even temporary sales slumps breed alarmist pronouncements; book parties in disfavored genres begin to feel like wakes, sending off one more spirit to the inevitable afterworld of the remainder shelf. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 The title struck some readers as alarmist. — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 But the film received criticism in the aftermath of its release, with some naysayers accusing it of being alarmist or exaggerated. — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 16 June 2026 Gaspar took the unusual step of naming the teachers publicly, a move that Sanchez’s supporters call alarmist. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarmist

Noun

The caption on the video claims that a group of Muslim extremists kidnapped and beheaded a Christian man for refusing to convert to Islam.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026
Dictators chose repression, extremists chose violence, and regional powers pursued their interests.

— Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of extremist

Noun

As Houthi rebels closed in, Eshraq Abdel Gelil and her husband fled their home, walking through the mountains before catching a ride to a nearby city.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Saudi Arabia struggles to rally support With the world’s biggest oil exporter under fire from rebels backed by the Saudis’ regional adversary, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its crude as well as military assistance.

— Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

Speaking at the 9/11 memorial ceremony, the son of one of the victims, in an impassioned plea, called on troublemakers to stop using the day to spread Islamophobia and hate.

— Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
The alleged spending was so lavish that the judge overseeing Lam's initial court appearance in Miami invoked a famous Hollywood troublemaker after hearing a prosecutor describe it.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of troublemaker

Noun

The move followed the ousting in a wider government reshuffle last week of tech-savvy reformist Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which brought out into the open the deep divisions in the Ukrainian defense leadership.

— Reuters, NBC news, 22 July 2026
Pezeshkian, a reformist within Iran’s theocracy, is the highest-ranking official within Iran to reference the release of the funds held by Qatar.

— Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Definition of reformist

Noun

The latest operation came just over a week after Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ruled out negotiations with insurgents and said security operations would continue until militancy was eliminated from the province.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Hundreds joined the insurgents that day, and their numbers soon swelled into the thousands.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of insurgent

Noun

Every night, after Jesus died on the cross, my apostles gently helped me down from the chain-link fence to which I had been lashed.

— Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Bethsaida, close to Jesus' ministry in Capernaum, was once the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of apostle

Noun

School choice proponents often say the rapid increase in participation only shows the enormous demand for such programs.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
By contrast, modern proponents of the existence of a ninth planet focus their searches further out, looking instead to orbital peculiarities in smaller objects that occupy the distant reaches of the solar system.

— Micah Hanks, Space.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of proponent

Browse Nearby Words

alarmingly

alarmist

alarmists

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Alarmist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarmist. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of alarmist

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nemesis

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes